College Debt Forgiveness? It’s Already Here!

Thanks to a little-known federal program, one in four jobs makes you eligible to wipe out your debt after 10 years.

By

Emily Bary

October 17, 2016

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By

Emily Bary

October 17, 2016

For a computer-science graduate, the dream job is usually a Silicon Valley gig with a fat paycheck, stock options, and free lunches. But a government IT job offers a different kind of perk: student loan forgiveness after 10 years of work.

Bernie Sanders famously advocated free college for everyone, and Hillary Clinton has a less-expensive plan to help students avoid debt. It’s a big problem, growing fast — American student debt now exceeds $1.3 trillion. But debt-forgiveness is already here for about a quarter of the U.S....